Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) can be a key element in affecting teacher beliefs and methods.
What are Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)?
Promoted by educators Rick and Becky DuFour
Focuses on collaboration between educators
Learning is emphasized
Results are key-if something's not working effectively, then a change needs to be made
Key questions:
What do we want students to learn?
How will we know if they have learned?
What will we do if they don't learn?
What will we do if they already know it?
PLCs possess certain characteristics:
A mission, vision, goals, and values are articulated by PLC members and drive the actions of the group.
Accountability for learning is crucial.
PLC members search for ways to reach students (and not by relying on the same-old, same-old ways!).
Data is used to evaluate student learning and to determine if the team's goals are being achieved.
How can PLCs affect teacher beliefs and methods?
1. PLCs can foster the development of relationships between educators. The development of a PLC in a school provides situations that place teachers in collaborative groups so teachers are no longer isolated. In a PLC, the teacher who clings to old, shopworn methods and is content to teach the same way he/she has for many years is unable to hide behind his/her classroom door. Instead, that teacher is expected to participate in a PLC where ideas are shared, allowing that teacher to be exposed to new and different ways of thinking. PLCs encourage the examination of teaching practices and their effects on student learning. The teacher who has been resistant to changing his/her ways will be confronted with the reality of the absence of student learning (as demonstrated by data) and then will hopefully conclude that changes are needed. Additionally, since PLCs encourage teacher collaboration, opportunities for observing exist. The teacher who has not implemented targeted best practices can be asked to observe one who does employ best practices.
2. One vital element in building a PLC is the establishment of norms. Norms provide guidance for the group that determines how members of the group will respond and participate. As the norms are being developed in a group, dealing with negative or resistant behaviors can be addressed.
3. PLCs encourage the use of best practices. The Professional Learning Community Capacity Planning Checklist, located at http://files.solution-tree.com/pdfs/Reproducibles_BPLC/professionallearningcommunitycapacityplanningchecklist.pdf,identifies one task as "create a structured process for documenting successful and unsuccessful instructional practices that can be reviewed by all members of a faculty" (p.3.) Through the promotion of best practices, a "resistant" teacher or a teacher who is not well-versed in best practices, can learn about those practices. Jefferson County Schools described the use of a best practices notebook in a PLC on its PLC webpage (http://jc-schools.net/PLC.htm). Creating such a notebook (see the attached document best-practice.doc) can draw attention to what is identified as best practices during the course of the PLC meeting. In addition, the best practices notebook can foster discussions with those teachers who are not employing appropriate teaching practices. I would consider adding a section detailing the source of the practice so that legitimate resources are used. Triangulating sources of best practices would also be helpful to ensure that the practice is really something that should be used in a classroom can further strengthen this.
4. PLCs rely on concrete data, not abstractions. It's not enough to say "Johnny's not doing well in spelling." In a PLC, teachers need to examine the data in order to draw conclusions about student learning. Honest data analysis may show that teacher who is resistant to change that what he/she is doing is not working for the students involved. The data is not going to lie:)
5. One of the four questions that guide PLCs, the question of What will we do if they don't learn? can be used to support teacher change. If a resistant teacher has students who are not learning, then he/she will have to evaluate his/her teaching practices. However, this teacher will not be alone in this journey, but will have the other participants in his/her PLC to provide support, guidance, and suggestions.
6. No excuses! PLC meetings are not times for complaining about the lack of parental support, the socioeconomic status of students, or the other issues that often negatively color meetings between teachers. PLC meetings are all about what the teacher CAN control (instruction), not what the teacher cannot. In some situations, resistant teachers may simply believe that he/she cannot make a difference until those outside factors are eradicated.
What are Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)?
PLCs possess certain characteristics:
How can PLCs affect teacher beliefs and methods?
1. PLCs can foster the development of relationships between educators. The development of a PLC in a school provides situations that place teachers in collaborative groups so teachers are no longer isolated. In a PLC, the teacher who clings to old, shopworn methods and is content to teach the same way he/she has for many years is unable to hide behind his/her classroom door. Instead, that teacher is expected to participate in a PLC where ideas are shared, allowing that teacher to be exposed to new and different ways of thinking. PLCs encourage the examination of teaching practices and their effects on student learning. The teacher who has been resistant to changing his/her ways will be confronted with the reality of the absence of student learning (as demonstrated by data) and then will hopefully conclude that changes are needed. Additionally, since PLCs encourage teacher collaboration, opportunities for observing exist. The teacher who has not implemented targeted best practices can be asked to observe one who does employ best practices.
2. One vital element in building a PLC is the establishment of norms. Norms provide guidance for the group that determines how members of the group will respond and participate. As the norms are being developed in a group, dealing with negative or resistant behaviors can be addressed.
3. PLCs encourage the use of best practices. The Professional Learning Community Capacity Planning Checklist, located at
http://files.solution-tree.com/pdfs/Reproducibles_BPLC/professionallearningcommunitycapacityplanningchecklist.pdf,identifies one task as "create a structured process for documenting successful and unsuccessful instructional practices that can be reviewed by all members of a faculty" (p.3.)
Through the promotion of best practices, a "resistant" teacher or a teacher who is not well-versed in best practices, can learn about those practices. Jefferson County Schools described the use of a best practices notebook in a PLC on its PLC webpage (http://jc-schools.net/PLC.htm). Creating such a notebook (see the attached document best-practice.doc) can draw attention to what is identified as best practices during the course of the PLC meeting. In addition, the best practices notebook can foster discussions with those teachers who are not employing appropriate teaching practices. I would consider adding a section detailing the source of the practice so that legitimate resources are used. Triangulating sources of best practices would also be helpful to ensure that the practice is really something that should be used in a classroom can further strengthen this.
4. PLCs rely on concrete data, not abstractions. It's not enough to say "Johnny's not doing well in spelling." In a PLC, teachers need to examine the data in order to draw conclusions about student learning. Honest data analysis may show that teacher who is resistant to change that what he/she is doing is not working for the students involved. The data is not going to lie:)
5. One of the four questions that guide PLCs, the question of What will we do if they don't learn? can be used to support teacher change. If a resistant teacher has students who are not learning, then he/she will have to evaluate his/her teaching practices. However, this teacher will not be alone in this journey, but will have the other participants in his/her PLC to provide support, guidance, and suggestions.
6. No excuses! PLC meetings are not times for complaining about the lack of parental support, the socioeconomic status of students, or the other issues that often negatively color meetings between teachers. PLC meetings are all about what the teacher CAN control (instruction), not what the teacher cannot. In some situations, resistant teachers may simply believe that he/she cannot make a difference until those outside factors are eradicated.